Tracker for automatic musical instruments.



No. 825,629. .PA'TENTUU JULY 1C, 190C.

A F. C. WHITE. TRACKER TCR AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

. APPLICATION FILED 0CT.'4.1905. C

` beneath.

UNITED STATES i'ArnNr orrion.

FRANK c. wHirE, or MERIDEN, ooNNEorioU'r, Assiexon 'ifo Wnon a lVHlTE COMPANY, OF MERIDEU, CCNNECTICUT.

CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION Ulf TRACKER FCR AUTOMATIC MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

No. 825,629. Specification of Application filed October 4.

To /t/, whom; t may concern,.-

nl 3e it known that I, FRANK C. WHITE, a citizen of the United States, residingat Meriden, in the cou'nty of New Haven and State of vsemicylindrical face member' adjustable in the manner set forth for opening or lclosing either series ot' ducts; also, to providea simple, eflicient, and convenient tracker having the improved construction and features of novelty substantially such as hereinafter particularly explained, and definitely expressed in the claims, a practical form ofthe mechanism being illustrated in the drawings, wherein* V Figure l represents a plan view of a tracker -mechanism-embodying my invention, a portion being shown broken away to reveal arts Fig. 2 is a transverse vcrtica section oi' the same, together with pneumatic mechanism controlled therefrom. Fig. 3 is an endview of vthe tracker and also showing a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section oi' the end of the tracker.l Fig. 4 is a separate cross-section of the trackert'ace or shell; and Fig. 5 is a detail view at one end-ot the shell, showing the construction of 'a stop device and the center bearing.

This improved means is applicable for useA in the various types of autopneumatic musicplaying' instruments, such as employ a pro'- pelled perforated music-sheet for controlling pneumatic-action mechanisms.

The invention consists in a tracker provided with a semicylindrical movable facing-cap having a plurality of rows ofmouth-orilices formed therethrough adj ustably mounted on a tracker-body having a semicylindrical top and plural series of ducts, also in a tracker having contrasting surface markin for showing the true position oi the music-sheet.

Referring to the drawings, A denotes lhel bar or body portion of the tracker, which is provided with two rows oi' holes or air-ducts a. .and a2, arranged therein near each other, but suihcientl y far apart to atlord a substan- Letters-Patent. Patented any 1o, 190e.

'1905. Serial llo-281,248.

' tial longitudinal partition between the rows. T he head ortop of the b arAis formed longitudinally straight and transversely semicylin- 5 5 drical on a true circle, as at 4.-, and superimposed thereon I arrange a semicylindrical cap or shell C; made of metal or suitable hard material about one-sixteenth of an inch. thick, more or less, and curved on a true half- 6o circle to internally countermatch upon the scmicylindrical topl 4. of the body portion A. with a close'slidable t. Through this metal shell, which forms' the working face of the tracker, there are formed two' series of holes 65 or mouth-'orifices 1 and 2 for the trackerducts c and a2. These rows of holes are longitudinally dis osed o n dili'erent scales to match different y-scaled perforated music and to conform to the spacings of the ducts in the 7o bar A. The latter may, if so desired, be made slightly larger from front to rear and laterally narrower than the holes 1 and 2 inthe capshell, thus affording stronger bridges between the ducts laterally. 75

The rows of 'mouth-orifices in the shell are disposed farther' apart from front to rear than vare the rows of'ducts at the head ofthe body, so that when the cap-shell C stands at central position both r'ows ol' mouth-oriiices 1 and 2 So are out of alinemen t with the rows oi' holes af and c2 in the body portion.

Y The shell C is provided with end members c', having centering-openings 5, through which a pivot-stud or screw 6 is arranged for 8 5 connecting the shell and body. Said Opeliings 5 are best vertically elongated, as shown in Fig. 5, so that the shell willat all'tnn'es sea t upon the cylindrical top surface of the body! bar and not be held therefrom by the center 9o pivots. 4A spring 7 is'prei'erably combined with the shell (see Fig. 3) for drawing it closely down upon its seating-surface.

A handle 8 or equivalent means is provided for shifting the shell or cap C hack- 95 ward and friiwv'arlfin the circular top ol' the hodv to therelnr bring either row of mouthoriliccs 1 or 2 to register with the correspomling rowol'rluclsa or fr?, as desired.

A pin ll), lixed in the har .land projecting roo through a suitable slot l.) in the shell C, serves to limit tln` movement and stop thishell al, the positions where the niou'th-orilu-es and duct-hohes are in alinement.

l The music-sheet M is passed over the face of the tracker from'the spool F to the takeup roll D in usual manner.

For the purpose of showing at all times whether the perforated music-sheet is running so that itsnote-perforations' Coincide in alinement with the respective' tracker-ori--- ices I provide upon the tracker-face Vat the proper positionsfor `the outer edges of the music-sheet` a surface or marking of contrasting color'Ciat or near the ends of the trackerbar, and t e junctional line ofwhich extends straight across the tracker-face and forms astrong visible `contrast of surface. both with the raceway-surface of the tracker and with thematerial of the music-sheet at the exact position where the edge of the mu- 'sicsheet lproperly travels, thereby making any deviation from position as i the musicsheet advances readily discernible by reason of the sheet' encroaching upon :or varying i away from the edge line of the juxtaposed colors or contrasting elements. The` coni trastline on the `trackermay be made by Vpainting or staining with dark color that part of the tracker-face that projects beyond the width of the music-sheet vor by an inlay oi different colored material, wood, metal, or

rac'eway-surface of the tracker-face.

' tion s own the tracker connected with a set of pneumatlcs, wherein I indicates the pril lng mary pneumatic, J the valve for contro a secondary pneumatic K, and O the secondary actuated valve controlling apower-pneumatic P, by which a playing device or strikling member may ,be operated, all of said A pneumatics being worked by the iniiuence of exhaust or vacuum pressure in the chamber .W, Aas lwill be readily understood by persons conversant with pneumatic instruments of this class.

By employing the movable metal cap member or thin facing shell C the vorifices can be accurately `formed, and by sliding said cap or facing-shell upon the semieylindrical top of the body a very simple and convenient means of adjustment for varying the scale of an instrument is afforded. 'WIien the shell is .centrally adjusted, as per line 20, Fig. 4, both rows of ducts are closed. When moved backward, as per line 21", then the orices 1 coincide with the ducts a', and the first row -can coact'with the 'perforaticns of a musicsheet of the broader'scale, as-shown in Fig. 1.

Y esta When the shell is moved forward, as per line 22,-then the first-row ducts are closedand the orifices 2 coincide with the ducts a, and

Obviously in applying' this invention to instruments of various styles some changes may be made in the form of embodiment by those skilled in the art without departing from the nature and scope of my invention as ex, pressed in the claims.

Therefore without limiting the same to the special form and vdet-ail herein shown or the enumeration of equivalents I claim as of my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A duplex-scaled musical-,instrument tracker, comprising a body member having separate rows of air-ducts therein, and a movable face member consisting of a thin shell havin the rows of tracker-mouth oriiices ltheret rough, mounted upon saidv body and shiitable thereon for bringing the respective rows of mouth orificesinto and outof coinciding relation with the correspondingly-scaled air-ducts.

2. In a music-playing instrument, a tracker comprising a tracker-body provided with a semicylindrical head-surface, and having a lurality of rows of ducts of different scale iormed in said body; in combination with an overlying thin shell or cap member having a plurality of rows of mouth-oriiices of different. scale formed-therethrough, end supports and i Ic'o y axially central bearings connecting said cap member and tracker-body, and means for shifting the. cap to bring either of the rows of mouth-orifices to register with the respective rows of ducts.

3. In a music-playing instrument, a tracker comprising a tracker-body provided with a semicylindrical head-surface, and having two rows of ducts formed in said body; in combination with an overlying half-cylinder Shell having two rows of mouth-orifices formed therethrough, and at a distaneea art varying from that of the ducts in the bo y portion,

axial vbearings connecting said shell andtracker-body, and means for shifting the shell to bring either of the rows of mouth-orifices intooperative position for coaction with a music-sheet.

4. A tracker comprising a tracker-bod?r having a semicylindrical head provided wit 1 two series of ducts, of different scale, ranged 1n separate rows, with an intervening partiy tion; in combination with an overlying semicylindrical thin metal shell forming a cap for the head surface and having therethrou h two rows of. mouth orifices res'ective y corresponding to the scales'o said u'cts, but with the rows at diiierent distance apart, bearings loosely connectin said ca axially concentric with the trac er-hea surface springs for pressing the/cap close upon said ige iro 

